After a 2023 deadline retooling where they traded two former Cy Young Award winners and future Hall of Famers, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, amongst others, the Mets were a surprise contender in 2024. They made it all the way to the National League Championship Series before losing to the eventual World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers. After bringing in Juan Soto as part of a big offseason this past winter, they are poised to contend for an NL pennant this season. Somewhat lost in all of the recent good fortune has been the dividends that these 2023 trades have been paying. Trade acquisitions Luisangel Acuña from the Scherzer trade and Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford from the Verlander deal are now all ranked in the Mets’ top 30 by MLB.com. Acuña is currently on the major league squad. Pitcher Brandon Sproat had a breakout year in 2024 and is now considered a top 50 prospect, as is infielder Jett Williams. This has all culminated with the Mets system being ranked 12th in the league by both MLB.com and Baseball America going into the 2025 season, showing that the improving big league club has even more reinforcements on the way. That system could get even stronger over the course of the year as less heralded players emerge and rise up prospect lists.
Here are three players who have the potential to improve their stock and improve the Mets’ farm system even more this season:
Nick Morabito, Outfielder
Despite being taken in the second round of the 2022 draft at 75th overall, Nick Morabito has been overshadowed in a strong Mets farm system, despite him doing nothing but getting on base at every stop in the minors so far. After being taken out of high school and foregoing a commitment to Virginia Tech to sign an above slot deal with the Mets, Morabito was sent to the Florida Complex League in 2022 to begin his pro career as a nineteen-year-old. He struggled immensely in a six-game sample size, batting only .097 with a .167 on-base percentage. Morabito didn’t have those same problems upon his return in 2023, as he batted .324 in 30 games at the level before a promotion to the A-Ball St. Lucie Mets. He finished the year with a .421 OBP across the two levels. 2024 saw more of the same. Splitting his season between St. Lucie and the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones, Morabito put up a .403 OBP, which includes a laughable .530 OBP during his time with St. Lucie. He was named the Mets 2024 Minor League Player of the Year. Morabito’s continued elite on-base productions points towards his readiness to face upper-level pitching, and he is beginning this season with the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies.
Now 21, turning 22 later this season, he has quickly reached the upper minors and has the potential to contribute to the major league squad in short order. The biggest downside to his profile is a glaring lack of power in his bat. Out of minor leaguers with at least 500 plate appearances last season, he had the sixth-highest ground ball rate. Over his two full seasons of professional baseball, he has only six home runs. He’s an athletic player who receives good marks for his defense. That evaluation is again buoyed by elite speed, as his arm grades out as average to below average. His game currently lacks power on both sides of the ball, and it will be increasingly difficult for him to rely on maintaining his high on-base numbers as he rises through the upper minors. As his contact and on-base naturally decline as he rises, he will have to find a way to elevate the ball more without sacrificing even more contact if he wants to be more than a backup outfielder or average starter. If he can somehow find a way to do this, or defy odds and keep up his high on base production, he could be an above-average major leaguer with the ceiling as a productive leadoff hitter.
Nate Dohm, Right-Handed Pitcher
Nate Dohm was drafted in the third round of the 2024 draft. The righty started his college career at Ball State before playing his final two seasons at Mississippi State. Dohm struggled with forearm issues throughout his college career, and he pitched in only eight games last season for the Bulldogs due to continued forearm pain. When he was on the field last season, he was dominant. In eight games, Dohm owned a 1.23 ERA and struck out 37 batters in 29.1 innings while only allowing four walks. The Mets assigned him to the FCL after the draft last year, but chose to allow his arm extra time to rest instead of having him begin his professional career. The 22-year-old is beginning this season with St. Lucie. Despite the majority of his college appearances coming as a reliever, the organization will develop him as a starter for the time being.
Dohm’s fastball, curveball and slider are all considered above average, as is his control. In a starting role, he can sit at 93-95 mph on his fastball, but he has touched 99 mph in relief appearances. Though he has a good enough arsenal to project potential success as a starter, Dohm’s ability to ramp up his fastball in shorter stints and his injury concerns point towards a possible shift to a relief role if he is unable to increase the number of innings he can durably throw in a season. He’s made two starts this season for St. Lucie but has only pitched 6.1 innings as he continues to build up. We should have a better idea on whether Dohm can handle a starter’s workload later this season. At 6-foot-4, he has the frame to remain durable and successful as a starter. If he can stay on the field, Dohm could fly through the minors with the potential to reach Double-A as soon as this year.
Edward Lantigua, Outfielder
At just 18 years old, Edward Lantigua is a long way from even being on the radar to contribute at the major league level. Lantigua signed with the Mets just last winter in January of 2024 for $950,000, the second-biggest bonus the team handed out for the 2024 class. He was ranked the 42nd best player in that class at the time. He made his professional debut last summer, splitting his time between the Mets’ two Dominican Summer League teams. The DR native had a streaky season in his first taste of professional baseball. July was his best month, as Lantigua decimated opposing pitching for .404/.550/.513 triple slash. For as hot as he was in July, he was just as cold in August with his slash line dropping to .133/.235/.200. The outfielder’s overall season line landed at .263/.397/.395 over 45 games, which is very respectable for a 17-year-old making their professional debut. His performance in June and July also landed him with the honor of being a DSL mid-season All-Star.
Despite only hitting one home run in his debut season, most scouts expect Lantigua’s power to be a better tool than his contact. The right-handed hitter already produces strong exit velocities, and his 6-foot-1 frame offers plenty of room to fill out as he ages. He also demonstrated strong discipline, which isn’t always the case with young, power-over-hit prospects. Lantigua is currently a solid defender who has played center, but often players slow down as they do fill out, so only time will tell if he can stick at this position. He has already gotten some time in the corner outfield positions, where his defense could be more of an asset than in center. The Mets have a recent history of being aggressive with promoting top international prospects, as 2023 top 50 ranked international prospect Jeremy Rodriguez made his FCL debut for the team last year at age 17. Considering his early success and slightly older age, it would not be overly surprising to see the Mets take a similar path with Lantigua this season.